Caitlin Clark addressed her absence from the U.S. Olympic team after she and the WNBA stars cruised to victory over the Americans on the road to Paris on Saturday night.
The superstar rookie, along with Angel Reese and Arike Ogunbowale, led the WNBA All-Stars team in beating Team USA 117-109 in an Olympic roster tune-up ahead of the games later this month.
The snub of Clark by Olympic coach Cheryl Reeve sparked outrage among WNBA fans and pundits.
And after her victory over the players who were chosen to travel to France instead of her, the top pick in the 2024 draft was asked if the result offered her any sense of vindication.
“No,” the Indiana Fever star bluntly replied when pressed after Saturday’s matchup at the Footprint Center in Phoenix.
Caitlin Clark addressed her absence from the U.S. Olympic team following the All-Stars’ victory
‘They’re really good. They’ve got a lot of talent on that team. Four years ago, I’m pretty sure the WNBA team beat Team USA and they did perfectly well at the Olympics.
“If anything, it just shows how good this league is. It shows how much talent there is in this league and how you have to show up and prepare every night. There are a lot of players that aren’t even here tonight that could be here, too. It just shows how much talent we have.”
Clark showed no sign of bitterness over his omission and insisted he would root for the Stars and Stripes throughout every game.
“For me, from my point of view, this is a great opportunity to help them prepare for Paris,” he added about the All-Star Games.
“I’m going to support them and cheer them on. I love the Olympics. I’ve loved them since I was a little kid. They’re going to do great. They’re going to win gold and dominate.”
The U.S. Olympic basketball committee favored WNBA veterans over superstar rookies.
Napheesa Collier, Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Sabrina Ionescu, Jewell Loyd, Kelsey Plum, Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurasi, Alyssa Thomas, A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young were called up.
While Clark accepted his omission with good grace and understanding, social media, particularly some pundits, did not take the slight well.
Clark and the WNBA All-Stars beat Team USA 117-109 ahead of the Paris Olympics
Team USA, coached by Cheryl Reeve (pictured), opted to bring in WNBA veterans for its roster.
Barstool Sports boss Dave Portnoy said in an explosive video about X: ‘This is about Caitlin Clark being left off the Olympic team… how dumb are these women?
“I don’t know who makes the decision, the Women’s Olympic Committee or whoever. I don’t care if you think Caitlin Clark’s talent doesn’t deserve to be on this team, even though she scored 37 points at 13 years old, the most points in league history for a rookie.
‘None of that matters. These women – and I love women, I’m a women’s advocate – are complaining, they’re crying about equal rights, equal pay, blah, blah, blah… Hey, you fools, for the first time in the history of basketball, you have arguably the most popular female player in the world.
‘You can argue that Caitlin Clark is the most popular and most watched basketball player in the world. You can argue that. And she’s left off the Olympic team?
Dave Portnoy (left) was furious at Clark’s (right) omission from the Olympic roster
“It’s not just window dressing for her, it’s window dressing for the sport and for the other WNBA players that are on this team. How dumb, how brainless, how idiotic do the people running this have to be? With her, it’s one thing after another.”
Jason Whitlock also reacted furiously, blaming fans of the “BLM-LGBTQIA+Silent P Alphabet” mob in a series of angry social media posts.
Whitlock initially said he was glad Clark would not be competing in the upcoming Games, writing: “Am I the only one glad they left Caitlin Clark off the Olympic team? Now I don’t have to watch a bunch of angry, entitled feminists who hate America play basketball.”
But the target of Whitlock’s ire soon shifted away from patriotism when he wrote: “They hate Cait. End of story.”
